Stuck Gas Pedal

[cbelt3]

Because some people PANIC.

Personally, I tend to 'prepare' for possible situations by gaming things out in my head. So far I've survived a number of bad situations, including having some punk drop a huge chunk of concrete off a bridge at my car (while my then 7 year old son was in the back seat). Saw it in midair, dodged it. Called the cops after I stopped cussing.

[Jack D.]

olnacl wrote:
BTW, how DO you shut off the engine with the keyless ignition and a "Start" button? Throw the key out the window?
I'm serious - just thought about it now after a friend took me to lunch in (guess what) a 2009 loaner from her Lexus dealer. Is the "Start" button also a "Stop" button? If the driver had an older model, with key ignition, I could understand the panic, but also wonder why shifting to neutral, for example wasn't on his / her list of things to do before a 911 call.

Found this over here http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/lofiversio...32473.html

When the shift lever position is in the N position, the engine start condition is different according to the vehicle speed.
- At a vehicle speed of less than 4 km/h (2.5MPH), the engine can start only when the brake pedal is depressed.
- At a vehicle speed of 4 km/h (2.5MPH) or more, the engine can start even if the brake pedal is not depressed. (It is the same as “Engine stall return operation while driving”.)

When the shift lever position is in any position other than the P position and when the vehicle speed is 5 km/h (3.1MPH) or more, the engine stop condition is different.
- Press and hold the push-button ignition switch for 2 seconds or more. (When the push-button ignition switch is pressed for too short a time, the operation may be invalid, so properly press and hold to prevent an incorrect operation.)
- Press the push-button ignition switch 3 times or more within 1.5 seconds. (Emergency stop operation)

[olnacl]

Jack D. wrote:
Found this over here http://www.nagtroc.org/forums/lofiversio...32473.html

When the shift lever position is in any position other than the P position and when the vehicle speed is 5 km/h (3.1MPH) or more, the engine stop condition is different.
- Press and hold the push-button ignition switch for 2 seconds or more. (When the push-button ignition switch is pressed for too short a time, the operation may be invalid, so properly press and hold to prevent an incorrect operation.)
- Press the push-button ignition switch 3 times or more within 1.5 seconds. (Emergency stop operation)

Well, I could see how someone who was used to driving a car with a key style ignition switch might be confused about shutting off the engine in a panic situation, especially if the dealer hadn't given the driver explicit instructions.

[ScottG]

Most of the other ideas (shift into 1st gear, or neutral) I think I would have thought of- but turning off the ignition with a push-button ignition system would possibly have inspired straightforward panic.

cheers

scott

[OWC Jamie]

I've had a floor mat slide forward pushing on the accelerator before.

It aso helped trap a beer juice can behind the brake pedal.
Luckily I was sober smart enough to reach down and pull the floor mat back realizing something had obviously changed on the floor.


My current Toyota has a floor mat clip which disallows the mat sliding forward.

[JoeH]

Anyone find directions for a Toyota to stop the engine, since the quoted ones were for a Nissan? If they are similar, I can see that someone unfamiliar with the car (like they might have been since it was a loaner) might not know how to stop the engine. In any case, putting the tranny into neutral would have stopped the car from accelerating. With the pedal stuck the engine would rev, either the RPM limiter would kick in or the engine would go eventually, but they would have had power assist for brakes and steering.

[JoeH]

My current Toyota has a floor mat clip which disallows the mat sliding forward.

One of the persons who commented after the article had the same model car. He made this comment:

I have a ES 330, tabs they have in place to keep the floor mats from moving fall out all the time and they have to be re-postioned

But that still might not have helped if the clips did hold better, the story states the mat in the car was from a different model Lexus, and that difference may have contributed to the accident.

[RAMd®d]

If the gas pedal was "stuck", the driver might have tried to free it by jabbing it, with it ending up "floored", if it was as Got To Top said it was.

The saddest thing is that we can kibitz, criticize, condescend, blame, but how many people could successfully negotiate/navigate a dangerous situation like that?


Because some people PANIC.

Wrong. MOST people panic.

Training, and/or various amounts of luck are needed. MOST people don't get any real training in emergency vehicle operation and years of "driving experience" don't always, and may never, prepare one for such a serious emergency. This is a little more than correcting a skid and driving in snow.

Yes, there are things the driver could have done. From the fact that he was able to reach a 911 operator, tells me that this occurred over a longer period of time than most might suspect. Perhaps a better trained operator could have helped more.

Who knows, at this point.

But hey, second guessing without actual fact is a favorite sport in some places.

[olnacl]

I spoke to my friend who drives a several year old Lexus and who had the '09 loaner. She was NOT instructed on emergency engine shut off procedure when they gave her the keys to the car. I seriously doubt (and she's a smart woman, very tech savvy) that she would have known how to shut down the engine at speed, if, indeed those instructions (or other similar in nature) posted earlier apply to the Lexus.

My point is that new tech is great and I lust for it as much as the next man/woman, but there are things that would benefit from standardization for safety reasons. Renting a new car is always somewhat of a challenge both to myself and people I know (yeah, I'm an OF) with the plethora of gadgets and controls that vary from one make (and even model) to another.

I hope there will be more coming from this tragedy that just floor mat security.

[RAMd®d]

I hope there will be more coming from this tragedy that just floor mat security.

Agreed.

More information on the crash, at the very least.

Fewer idiots who like to play the Darwin-They Deserved-It Award, as well.